Sulzer Carbomedics Inc.

Carbomedics Inc.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Imation Corporation

Riyad E Moe

Edward J Sarnowski

Louis A Campbell

Robert E Brenner

Truman Frank Kellie

David Adams Ender

Joseph Andrew Chinn

Steven C Jensen

James Charles Caffey

John Kenneth Ryder

Paul C Peterson

James Hutton

Donald W James

Xiao-Yan Gong

Matthew Allen Freund

Xiao Yan Gong

A prosthetic heart valve having an elastomeric stent with an annular base and a plurality of apertures or holes circumferentially spaced around the base for receiving a suture. Flexible polymeric leaflets are molded over the stent. Polymeric material surrounds the apertures, leaving a central opening in each aperture. The base may be a frustro-conical ring. A sewing ring is mounted on the heart valve by suturing the ring through the apertures. Apertures or holes may also be provided by extending an area covered by woven material around all or part of the circumference of the base.

Polymer heart valve with perforated stent and sewing cuff

A heart valve is disclosed which includes a valve body and a plurality of flexible leaflets coupled to the valve body. The plurality of leaflets can have an open position and a closed position. Each of the plurality of leaflets can comprise a belly when the plurality of leaflets are in their respective closed positions. The belly of one or more of the plurality of leaflets preferably has a continuous curvature except for two or more features.

Heart valve leaflet

A stent includes a stent member having a plurality of post members formed therein. Each post member is connected to an adjacent post member by an interconnecting portion. A plurality of leg members extend from the stent member. The stent may be molded within a flexible polymer valve. The legs stabilize and locate the stent in the mold. Upon completion of the molding process, the legs can be separated from the stent.

Heart valve stent with alignment posts

A tri-leaflet prosthetic cardiac valve with leaflets having an analytic shape in a selected position. The leaflets are connected to a valve body at attachment curves. The shape of the leaflet is selected from a set of geometries that can be represented mathematically. The attachment curve is selected to improve the durability of the tri-leaflet valve by moving the point of maximum loaded stress along the attachment curve away from the commissures. An inner wall of the valve body is given a non-circular shape near the attachment curve, the shape of the inner wall corresponding to the attachment curve. Also, a method of making a valve by selecting an analytic leaflet shape, selecting an attachment curve to improve durability of the valve by moving the point of maximum loaded stress along the attachment curve away from the commissures, and forming a valve body to support one or more leaflets, the valve body having a non-circular inner wall conforming to the attachment curve.

Altering heart valve leaflet attachment geometry to influence the location and magnitude of maximum loaded stress on the leaflet

A stent includes an elongated stent member having a plurality of post members. Each post member includes a pair of opposite sides. A first end of each post member includes an arcuate apex interconnecting the opposite sides. A second end of each post member has an open end. The opposite sides are angled to converge toward each other at the second end. The second end of each post member is connected to an adjacent post member by a stent portion. Each opposite side and each stent portion converge at an angle of less than 90&deg;. The opposite sides are angled to converge toward each other at the second end.

Prosthetic heart valves with flexible post geometry

A method for manufacturing a prosthetic heart valve. An elastic valve body and at least one leaflet are formed on a mold. The leaflet has a free edge which is formed by the mold without cutting the leaflet at the free edge.

Method for making polymer heart valves with leaflets having uncut free edges

A polymer heart valve has a leaflet with a base geometry of a cylinder for simplicity and effective opening. A helical swept surface is added to the top of the cylinder to enhance stable coaption. The heart valve includes a plurality of flexible leaflets. Each leaflet includes a top portion and a bottom portion. The bottom portion is an axial section of a cylinder having an axis and a radius. A first section of the top portion is a surface defined by a first arc having a first radius swept along a first helix. The first arc is tangent to the axial section of the cylinder. A second section of the top portion is a surface defined by a second arc having a second radius swept along a second helix. The second arc is tangent to the axial section of the cylinder. The second helix is a left-handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder.

Polymer heart valve with helical coaption surface

A method and apparatus for pre-stressing devices incorporating materials subject to stress softening is disclosed, as well as the resulting device. The method includes fabricating a heart valve with an inflow side and an outflow side. At least a portion of the heart valve includes a material subject to stress softening. The material experiences stress when a pressure differential occurs between the inflow side and the outflow side of the valve. The method includes creating a stress in the material prior to implantation in order to stabilize the stress/strain response of the material prior to implantation.

Pre-stressing devices incorporating materials subject to stress softening

A heart valve is disclosed which includes a valve body and a plurality of flexible leaflets coupled to the valve body. The plurality of leaflets has an open position and a closed position. Each of the plurality of leaflets comprises a belly when the plurality of leaflets are in their respective closed positions. The belly of one or more of the plurality of leaflets has a continuous curvature except for a non-continuous portion.

A heart valve prosthesis includes a molded body and a plurality of leaflets. Each leaflet includes a free margin having opposite ends and a mid-point. The opposite ends are attached to a peripheral portion of the valve. Each free margin is adjacent each other free margin to form a natural-state non-uniform gap therebetween. The gap has a maximized width adjacent the mid-point of each leaflet. Each free margin is scalloped to form a peak at the opposite ends and a mid-point peak between the opposite ends. Each peak is substantially the same height above the base.

Heart valve leaflet with scalloped free margin

A valve includes an elastic valve body and a stent. A first portion of the stent is embedded in the elastic valve body and a second portion of the stent is outside the valve body. A method of manufacturing such a valve is also claimed.

Elastic valve with partially exposed stent

A flexible leaflet heart valve includes a base, a peripheral portion and a plurality of leaflets. Each leaflet includes a scalloped free margin having opposite ends and a mid-portion between the opposite ends. The opposite ends are attached to the peripheral portion of the valve at a first height above the base. The mid-portion of each free margin is positioned at a second height above the base, less than the first height. Each free margin is adjacent each other free margin to form a gap therebetween. Each leaflet is of a first thickness and at least a portion of each free margin is of a second thickness, greater than the first thickness. This may include extending the second thickness along the entire free margin between the opposite ends or extending the second thickness only along the mid-portion of the free margin.

Heart valve leaflet with reinforced free margin

A mechanism for steering a photoconductor belt in an electrophotographic imaging system is disclosed. The photoconductor belt is moved about a support roller system of the imaging system to form a continuous transport path. The photoconductor belt tends to deviate from this continuous transport path in a direction substantially perpendicular to the path. The belt steering mechanism includes a support carriage, a steering carriage, a support roller and a belt steering drive assembly. The steering roller is mounted to the steering carriage, and the steering carriage is connected to the support carriage so as to be pivotable about a steering axis. The belt steering drive assembly is operably coupled to the steering carriage to pivotally move the steering carriage about the steering axis. Upon pivotal movement of the steering carriage about the steering axis, the steering roller pivots therewith to move the photoconductor belt in a direction substantially perpendicular to the continuous transport path to reduce deviation of the photoconductor belt from the path.

Belt steering mechanism for use with an electrophotographic imaging

A valve including a living hinge coupling a leaflet to a valve body. The leaflet can be coupled through the living hinge to the valve body's inner diameter, its outer diameter, or somewhere between the two diameters. Because the living hinge design of the valve is an integrated part, it can be manufactured in a single step.

Living hinge attachment of leaflet to a valve body

A squeegee apparatus and method for removing excess developer liquid from an imaging substrate in a liquid electrographic imaging system make use of a squeegee roller having a core with a crowned profile. With determination of a proper loading force, the squeegee apparatus and method achieve substantially uniform loading force along the length of the squeegee roller, and thus along the width of a nip formed along an the imaging region of the imaging substrate. As a result, the squeegee apparatus and method provide substantially uniform removal of developer liquid from the imaging substrate, enhancing quality of an ultimate printed image.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Riyad E Moe